Screen guard structure for metal dressing table of infant&#39;s bath stand



Nov. 13, 1.956 c. c. SKIRVIN 2,769,984

SCREEN GUARD STRUCTURE FOR METAL DRESSING TABLE OF INFANT'S BATH STAND Filed 001;. 15, I954 INVENTOR. CHESTER 0. S/(lliVl/V HIS ATIURNEY United States Patent STRUCTURE FOR METAL DRESSING TABLE OF IN FAN TS BATH STAND Chester C. Skirvin, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Trirnble, Inc., Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York SCREEN GUARD Claims.

This invention relates to a screen guard structure for a metal dressing table of an infants bath stand, and has for its purpose to provide a screen guard pivotally supported on a metal dressing table in such way that the soft protective pad overlying the table covers the hinged supporting means for the screen guard and protects the infant against contact therewith.

A further purpose of the invention is to provide simple and economical means for mounting a screen guard on a metal dressing table in such manner that it is readily movable from its upright operative position to its lowered inoperative position parallel with the table, and is easily retained in upright position against accidental displacement, while the hinged parts and retaining means are located beneath the pad that overlies the body of the metal table.

The usual practice in the past has been to mount the screen guard on one of the leg frames of the folding stand that supports the collapsible tub and swinging dressing table, and a more particular object of this invention is to afford means for pivotally mounting the screen guard directly on a metal dressing table in such manner that the infant cannot contact the parts of the hinge or the elements that retain the screen guard in upright position, without interfering with the normal operation and function of the screen guard.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts that will appear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features being pointed out in the claims following the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention in connection with one type of infants folding bath stand and dressing table, and showing the screen guard in upright operative position and the soft pad overlying the body of the dressing table within the rim;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial perspective view of the same with the soft pad removed;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the screen guard in its lowered inoperative position parallel to the dressing table and the soft pad removed;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial perspective view similar to Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail'sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views, the invention is illustrated as part of an embodiment of the general type illustrated in Patent No. 2,085,901, July 6, 1937, in which a dressing table is hinged to a folding tub supporting stand and is movable, when the stand is collapsed, to a position forwardly of the front leg frame of the stand, and acts to retain the stand in folded relation.

2,769,984 Patented Nov. 13, 1956 In the structure of the aforementioned patent, the dressing table has a flexible fabric body mounted on a frame, and a screen guard is pivotally mounted on the rear leg frame, whereas in the present structure, the dressing table consists of a metal body that is entirely covered with a soft protective pad, and the screen guard is pivotally mounted adjacent to the rear edge of the dressing table and foldable to an upright operative position without affecting the protective pad or to an inoperative position overlying and parallel to the dressing table.

In the arrangement illustrated, 1 and 2 designate the front and rear leg frames of a cross-legged folding tub supporting stand, the leg frames being pivotally connected at 3, while 4 designates a collapsible tub of plastic or other fabric suspended between the top rails of the leg frames and limiting their opening movement.

The dressing table comprises a metal body 5 of aluminum or other suitable metal or rigid material terminating at its edges in an upstanding curved rim 6 that is formed by inner and outer walls and extends a substantial distance above the body of the dressing table, while 7 designates a soft protective pad of any suitable material overlying the body of the dressing table within the rim 6 and extending from the surface of the body to a point approximately level with the upper edge of the rim 6.

The metal dressing table has hinge plates 8 fixedly attached to the outer walls of the rim 6 and said hinge plates 8 are pivotally mounted on the upper ends of posts 9 which are attached to the legs of the rear leg frame, or are otherwise pivotally supported on the rear leg frame, permitting the dressing table to swing from its horizontal operative position as in Fig. 1 to an upright position at the rear of the tub, or to a lowered position parallel to and forwardly of the front leg frame when the stand is folded, as in the aforementioned patent, upward movement of the dressing table being limited by engagement of the hinge plates 8 with stops 11 secured to the rear leg frame.

The screen guard, which is mounted on the dressing table instead of on the tub supporting stand, is indicated generally at 12 and comprises a plastic or fabric guard slidably positionable on a one-piece wire screen guard frame which comprises a body portion 13 and parallel ends 14 that connect with angular inwardly extending portions 15 including right-angled portions 16 that terminate in pintles 17 extending perpendicularly to the portions 16 and are pivotally mounted on the body portion of the metal dressing table. I

To accomplish this, there are provided metal or rigid straps each including a curved rear attaching portion 18 that surrounds and embraces the rim 6, and a front attaching portion 19 that overlies and is supported on the body of the dressing table. The end of the rear attaching portion 18 of the strap is fixedly attached to the outer wall of the rim 6 as at 2.1 and the opposite end of the strap is fixedly attached to the body of the metal dressing table as at 22, while 23 designates an upstanding loop consituting a bearing adjacent to the body of the dressing table and arranged to receive the pintle 17 of the wire screen guard supporting frame, which can swing in the bearings 23.

The screen guard frame is sufficiently flexible to permit its removal when desirable for cleaning purposes or otherwise by pulling one or both ends of the screen guard frame away from the bearing portions 23, and when in operative position, the spring of the screen guard frame and engagement of the screen guard 12 are suflicient to retain the frame in pivotal relation to the dressing table and to permit its folding onto the dressing table when the latter is collapsed to hold the tub stand in folded relation.

In order to retain the screen guard frame in its upright position, there are provided retaining devices on the straps to engage the screen guard frame when the latter is moved to its upright position. This is accomplished by a curved spring retaining lug or latch 24 that is integral with and extends perpendicularly to one edge of the inner wall of the curved rim-engaging portion of each strap 13, the retaining lug 24 being so positioned that when the wire screen guard frame is swung to its upright position, the portion 16 is engaged by the spring lug 24 and prevented from accidental displacement. The screen guard can be lowered by exerting a slight pull on the frame forwardly with sufficient force to overcome the resistance of the spring lugs 24' and release the screen guard frame.

The bearing portions 23, pintles 17, and spring lugs 24 are all located beneath the top of the rim 6 so that when the screen guard is in its uppermost position as in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the protective pad 7 overlies these parts as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 and the infant is protected from contact with said metal parts and injury therefrom. When the screen guard is lowered to its position overlying and parallel with the dressing table, it overlies the protective pad 7 and portions 16 of the screen guard frame likewise overlie the pad which is sufficiently flexible to permit any slight bending at its edges adjacent to the portions 16 when the screen guard frame is folded. When the screen guard is again elevated to its upright position, the pad by reason of its resiliency and flexibility assumes its operative position over the spring retaining lugs 24 and the bearings 23.

The structure affords an extremely simple and efficient means for pivotally mounting a screen guard and wire supporting frame on a metal dressing table with a protective pad located on the body of the table overlying the hinge connections and metal parts that might otherwise accidentally injure an infant, while at the same time permitting easy movement of the screen guard from its lowered position to its upright position and facilitating retaining the screen guard in such upright position.

While the invention has been described in relation to the structure herein shown, it is not confined to the details set forth and this application is intended to cover such modifications or departures as may come within the purposes of the improvement or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. I11 aninfants bath stand and dressing table of the type comprising a folding tub, supporting stand, a dress,-

ing table comprising a metal body having an upstanding curved rim around its edges, and a screen guard pivotally supported on the dressing table, the improvement which consists in a Wire screen guard frame comprising parallel ends terminating in right-angledpintles extending inwardly toward each other immediately above said body of the dressing table, and rigid straps attached to said dressing table, said straps including rear attaching portions surrounding and embracing said rim and front attaching portions extending over and in. contact with said body of the dressing table, said front portions including loops constituting bearings that receive said pintles.

2. In an infants bath stand and dressing table of the type comprising a folding tub supporting stand, a dressing table comprising a metal body having an upstanding curved rim around its edges, and a screen guard pivotally supported on the dressing table, the improvement which consists in a wire screen guard frame comprising parallel ends terminating in right-angled pintles extending inwardly toward each other immediately above said body of the dressing table, and rigidstraps attached to said dressing table, said straps including rear attaching portions surrounding and embracing said rim and front attaching por-' tions extending over and in contact with said body of the dressing table, said rear attaching portions of the straps having angularly bent yieldable integral spring retaining lugs, engaging said ends of the wire screen guard frame, and said front portions of-the-straps including loops constituting bearings that receive said pintles.

3. In an infants bath stand and dressing table of the type comprising a folding tub supporting stand, a dressing table comprising a metal body having an upstanding curved rim around its edges, and a screen guard pivotally supported on the dressing table, the improvement which consists in a wire screen guard frame comprising parallel ends having inwardly bent. angular portions terminating in pintles extending inwardly toward each other over and in contact with said body of the dressing table, and rigid straps including forward attaching portions overlying and attached to the body of'the dressing table and rear attaching portions embracing and attached to said rim, said rear attaching portions having integral angularly bent spring retaining lugs extending laterally from one edge thereof and engaging said angular portions of the wire frame, said forward attaching portions including integral bearings that receive said pintles.

4. In an infants bath stand and dressing table of the type comprising a folding cross-legged tub supporting stand consisting of pivotallyconnected front and rear leg frames, a dressing table comprising a rectangular metal body, the dressing table being pivotally mounted at the ends of the rear leg frame and arranged to fold downwardly and forwardly of the front leg frame when the leg frames are collapsed, the dressing table thereby acting to hold the leg frames in folded relation, and a screen guardp-ivotally supported on thedressing table, the improvement which consists in a wire screen guard frame including parallel ends terminating in pintles located adjacent to and overlying said metal body and spaced from the ends of the dressing table, and supporting means on the upper surface of said metal body and including bearings spaced from the ends of the dressing table, said pintles being detachably engaged with said bearings.

5. In an infants bath stand and dressing table of the type comprising a cross-legged tub supporting stand consisting of pivotally connected front and rear leg frames, a dressing table comprising. a rectangular metal body having an upstanding curved rim around-its edges, the dress-- ing table being pivotally mounted at the ends of the rear legframe and arrangedto fold downwardly and forwardly of the front leg frame when the leg frames are collapsed, the dressing table thereby acting to hold the leg frames in folded relation, anda screen guard pivotally supported on the dressing table, the improvement which consists in.

a wire screen guard frame comprising parallel endsterminating in pintles located adjacent to and overlying said. metal body and spaced from the ends of the dressing; table, and supporting means attached to the upper surface;

of said metal body and rim and including bearings spaced from the ends of the dressing table, said pintles being detachably engaged, with, said bearings, and said supporting means also including spring lugs spaced from- 2,500,035 Hollander Mar. 7, 1950 Mirkin Sept. 3, 1929- 

